Good Morning
by Whispering-Willow08
Summary: Naruto awakens to an unfamiliar smell in the kitchen and an empty bed. NaruHina. One-shot.


**I've been inspired to write a lot of one-shots lately, and it's been quite sometime since I wrote anything NaruHina related. Enjoy this sweet little one-shot!**

The warm sun streaming through the window and an unfamiliar smell of something cooking in the kitchen pulled Naruto from a deep sleep. He lifted his head slowly from the pillow, squinting against the bright sunlight. The space next to him was empty and he sat up in disorientation. He distinctly remembered Hinata lying there the night before.

It was the first time she stayed the night at his apartment. He invited her after the movie they went to ended later than they expected and she didn't want to risk waking the Hyuuga compound. He had happily volunteered to accommodate her. After all, they had been engaged for quite some time and while they had planned to move in together when they found the right house, he saw no problem with her spending a night or two at his place, as cramped as it may have been. He found he really enjoyed having her lay so close to him and feeling her slowly fall into sleep with his arm draped loosely around her waist.

He reached over and touched the spot where Hinata had slept and found it cold. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he sat up and wondered where she had gone. She was still a bit shy towards him at times, but she wasn't the type to run out in the middle of the night.

Movement in the kitchen caught his attention and he got out of bed, pulling a jacket on as he walked out of the room. Hinata stood at the stove, working her way around the tiny, unused space. She startled when she caught sight of Naruto out of the corner of her eye and nearly knocked the pan she was holding off the burner.

"Oh," she said, surprised, "I didn't know you were awake."

"I just woke up," he told her as he bent over to exam the contents of the pan. "What are you making?"

She blushed lightly and motioned to the table, which was already crowded with plates full of food. "Well I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made a little bit of everything. But you only had instant ramen here, so I had to run to the store…"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I don't really cook."

A light smile touched her features. "I could tell. Your rice cooker was still in the box."

"I have a rice cooker?" he asked, and the look of genuine surprise on his face caused Hinata to break into a laugh.

"You can't just eat instant ramen," she said, repeating the phrase Naruto had heard basically his entire life.

"It's a good thing you know how to cook then," Naruto said, examining the plates of sausages, salad, fresh fruits, and pancakes Hinata had set out. "This looks great!"

"Thank you," Hinata replied as she transferred the egg dish she had been working on onto a serving plate. "I thought I would make a lot so you can have leftovers."

Naruto grinned as he sat down at the table, grabbing an empty plate to fill. "Or you could just go ahead and move in and cook every morning!"

Hinata set two cups of tea at the table and gave him a questioning look. "I thought you wanted to wait until we had a house?"

"Yeah, but if you cook like this then-." He cut himself off when he noticed the hurt look she was trying to hide. "Wait, I don't mean it like that! I didn't mean I want you to move in just because you can cook. I mean, that's a plus, but," he began fumbling for words and he was pretty sure he was not helping his case, "I really liked sleeping next to you last night."

She sat down across from him and blushed. Although they had yet to breach any sexual boundaries in the relationship, the thought that something could possibly happen the night before had crossed her mind. She knew Naruto was respecting her boundaries, but the thought of starting something herself made her nervous. Maybe if she moved in, she would gain the confidence to start something. And besides, she really enjoyed sleeping beside Naruto as well. She felt so secure with his arm around her waist, holding her flush against his chest as she fell asleep. She could hardly sleep with the way she was relishing in the feeling.

"I enjoyed it too," she said quietly.

"So what do you say?" Naruto asked as he began digging into the feast. "We're going to move in together soon anyway."

Hinata nodded and gave him a tender smile. "I would really like that."

"Good," he said and took a heaping bite of eggs. A look of pure amazement washed over his face and he looked at Hinata with eyes full of wonder. "This is so good!" he declared loudly. He leaned over his plate and began taking in big shovelfuls of food in excitement.

"I'm glad you like it," Hinata smiled, delicately taking bites from her own plate. "I always enjoyed cooking. After training, I would help the cooks with dinner sometimes. I can make whatever you want."

Naruto grinned as he finished his plate. "You know, I'd really like to try your ramen."

Hinata blinked, not at all surprised at his request and broke into a laugh. "All right, I'll make ramen for you next."

He grinned and reached across the table to take her hand. "I'm really excited to marry you, Hinata."

His sudden sincerity caught her off guard and she squeezed his hand lightly. "Me either." She glanced down shyly. "I liked you for a really long time."

"I know," he said, sounding guilty. "Sorry it took me so long to catch on."

"It's all right," she said. "You know now."

He gave her hand another squeeze before letting go. He stood and began to gather up the gather up dishes, putting a hand out to stop her when she stood up to help. "I've got the dishes. Thanks for breakfast, Hinata."

"You're welcome," she said, taking her seat again. She watched him as he put plastic wrap over the leftovers and washed the dishes with the diligence of someone taking on the task for the first time.

"You know," he said as he worked, turning his head to glance at her, "I'd really like it if you stayed the night again tonight. You want to?"

She smiled, feeling a new confidence beginning to build up inside her. "I'd love to."


End file.
